


Mrs. Le Domas

by girlwiththeblueumbrella



Category: Ready or Not (2019)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Dealing With Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Running away to hawaii, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23049283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwiththeblueumbrella/pseuds/girlwiththeblueumbrella
Summary: What happens after game over? A series of vignettes about Mrs. and Mr. Le Domas.
Relationships: Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas
Comments: 21
Kudos: 129





	1. Mrs. Le Domas

“Mr. and Mrs. Le Domas after extensive review of all the involved party’s documents I have made a conclusion regarding the fate of the remaining Le Domas fortune” droned the lawyer.

Grace’s heart skipped a beat for a moment at the phrase “Mr. and Mrs. Le Domas”. However, as Grace turned her head towards the man seated next to her she relaxed. It had been six months since her wedding night and the complete destruction of the Le Domas gaming dominion.

They were in the somber wood paneled offices of Gold and Ginsberg. Gold and Ginsberg were infamous for being the most devious and brilliant law firm on the east coast. Naturally the Le Domas family had been clients for decades. Currently Grace was looking at the pinched and weathered expression of Mr. Ginsberg. Mr. Ginsberg certainly looked the part of the ruthless attorney.

Sitting in an emerald velvet chair, Grace felt like the uncouth charlatan she knew she was. Grace’s clothes screamed untailored generic purchases while the two men in the room were outfitted in what could only be custom made suits. 

Turning to the aforementioned Mr. Le Domas Grace couldn’t help but notice how he looked as tired as she felt. Dark heavy circles lined his eyes and sweat glistened on his forehead. Clutching his ever present glass of bourbon Daniel Le Domas looked like he had been through hell. Maybe he had. Daniel’s left arm was still in a sling due to the bullet of Charity’s shot ripping through his upper left shoulder. 

On her wedding night Grace had seen the amount of blood gushing out of the wound and had assumed the bullet hit Daniel’s heart. But through some sort of divine or perhaps satanic intervention the bullet had missed its target. Grace had found a slumped Daniel in the hallway after the mass spontaneous combustion of the Le Domas family. Neither Grace or Daniel knew why Mr. Le Bail had allowed Daniel to survive. Maybe it was to act as a living reminder to the other families under Mr. Le Bail’s contracts what happened to those who didn’t fulfil their end of the bargain. Or maybe Daniel survived as a consolation prize to Grace for beating the odds and surviving her wedding night. Whatever the reason, Grace and Daniel were now the only living Le Domas’. 

“To be frank after the entire collapse of the Le Domas family empire there certainly isn’t as much of a fortune as there once was. The remaining assets untouched by the spontaneous collapse of Le Domas company stocks are Mr. Daniel and Alex Le Domas’s personal holdings. Daniel your individually held commercial real estate assets remain profitable. Alex Le Domas’s investments also remain solvent” Mr. Ginsberg states as he sneers across his mahogany desk.

Grace takes a deep breath and fidgets with the hem of her dress. Daniel takes another sip from his glass.

“At present there simply isn’t anything to inherit of the Le Domas family fortune. All properties are to be sold to pay for the debts that Tony and Rebecca Le Domas acquired. Daniel will keep his individual holdings and Mrs. Le Domas as the wife of the deceased Alex Le Domas you will receive the assets and funds Mr. Alex Le Domas personally held” crooned Mr. Ginsberg.

“Quit the lawyer speech Ginsberg and tell Grace how much she gets” Daniel barked into his bourbon.

Bristling at the cavalier tone of Daniel Mr. Ginsberg narrowed his eyes and sighed.

“Mrs. Le Domas after all debts and liabilities have been taken care of you are to receive roughly one hundred million dollars” Ginsberg stated as if he was telling Grace what time it was.

A wave of nausea flooded over Grace. Grace never wanted the money. She wanted a family. Grace wanted Alex and a love story for the ages. Instead she was left with a permanently disfigured left hand and a heap of therapy bills.

“As for you Daniel you’ve made out with around fifty million. Apparently you weren’t as shrewd as your little brother” Ginsberg said with a chuckle.

“Alex ever the over achiever. Even in death” Daniel raised his glass in a mock toast and knocked back the rest of contents.

“If you’ll excuse me I have another meeting to attend to. Stephanie will assist you in signing all necessary paperwork for the transfer of assets Mrs. Le Domas. Daniel always a pleasure” Ginsberg growled as he picked up his briefcase and strode out of the room.

“Don’t worry Ginsberg you’ll have plenty of time to bathe in the blood of virgins before the sun gets you” Daniel tittered as the attorney left the dark room.

Grace couldn’t move. Her limbs had turned to lead and her synthetic blend dress had fused to the velvet of the chair. Daniel effortlessly rose from his seat and walked over to the bar cart to refill his empty glass. Grace could see the thick layer of condensation running down the glass as Daniel raised it to his lips for the thousandth time. Now leaning against the wood paneled wall, Grace’s brother-in-law turned to face her for the first time.

“So Gracie you may not be the billionaire Alex promised but you still made out better than the rest of the Le Domas clan. Any plans for the future?” Daniel slurred. 

Feeling a familiar seed of irritation Grace was momentarily brought out of her paralyzed stupor and replied, “I don’t know. I thought that I’d be married and dealing with stupid shit like what tile to put in Alex’s townhouse. But now I’m lucky if I can even make it out of bed to therapy let alone anything else.”

Daniel’s umber eyes softened when he heard what Grace replied.

“Grace I was being ass as per usual. I’m sorry” Daniel said with his eyes lowered into his bourbon.

“You know what I really want? I want to go back to being a nobody. I want to be somewhere where people don’t look at me as the grieving widow or the possible murderess that got away with it. I want to disappear. To be invisible. I was thinking of somewhere warm. With sunshine and flowers. Maybe even the ocean” Grace confessed while looking down onto hardwood floors of the office. 

As Grace looks up she sees Daniel take yet another sip. Breathing in a deep inhale Daniel’s face looks conflicted but as he exhales his normal aloof expression returns.

“You know I have a house in Maui. It’s right on the beach. Two bedrooms. Lots of plants. Hell you can even see turtles at dawn if you get up early enough. I’ve never told anyone about it. Not even Charity or Alex” Daniel states while looking anywhere but at Grace.

For a brief moment Grace feels as though the permanent weight on her chest has shifted.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. But it seemed like a place that only rich assholes could afford to go to” Grace blurted out before she knew what she was doing.

The corners of Daniel’s mouth upturned so slightly that Grace almost missed it.

“Well Gracie Lou Who you’re in luck because I just so happen to know a rich asshole who has a house right on the beach in Maui and who has a deep love affair with all things related to tropical cocktails” Daniel teased.

Slowly Grace feels some life coming back into her limbs. She’s definitely not in her prime satanic family fighting form, but it will do for now. Summoning all of her remaining grit Grace manages to pull herself out of the velvet trap and onto her feet.

“Well then what the hell are we waiting for” Grace asks the universe.


	2. Running

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for the feedback and kudos. This is the first fic I've posted since 2008 and I'm definitely rusty. Thank you for your patience and I hope you don't mind this chapter -SB

The air in the counselor’s office was thick and heavy with humidity. Grace’s eyes trailed the green and blue geckos that climbed the white washed walls. Beads of sweat rolled down Grace’s back as she sat in the wicker chair across from her therapist Michael.

“Grace where did you just go?” Michael inquired kindly.

Grace’s attention snapped back and she turned to face Michael. She had been seeing Michael for the past few weeks since she arrived in Maui. Daniel had dropped Grace off at the small green building in Makawao after she didn’t leave her room for three days. Grace hadn’t been planning on opening up to another therapist so soon after leaving the East Coast. However, Grace had been charmed by the open air office and the kind approach Michael Ige had taken. During the first three sessions Grace was mostly silent while Michael told her stories about growing up in the valley island. By her fourth visit Grace was able to look Michael in the eye and answer him when he asked how she was feeling that day.

The familiar knot of anxiety constricted in Grace’s chest at the question. Michael’s dark eyes scanned Grace’s face as he handed her a yellow foam fish. Grace’s hands impulsively pulverized the tiny fish as a substitute for a stress ball.

“I don’t know. I guess I was thinking about how hot it is in here and then I thought of another time where I was in another really hot room” Grace mumbled.

“The night of the fire?” Michael pushed gently.

“Yeah” Grace replied while looking out of the small window facing the gulch. The clock on the wall near the window read 12:58pm. Only two more minutes in this session.

“Grace I want to try something different this week. I’m giving you a homework assignment. I want you to try to go for a walk or run sometime before you see me next. Exercising might help you get out of your head when triggering thoughts are crowding in” Michael stated.

Grace had never really been a runner. In high school she had avoided organized sports and gym class like the plague. It wasn’t that she was against exercise per say, but Grace had never really felt a comradery with her classmates to the point where she wanted to chase after a ball together. In fact most of her high school career was spent cutting class to spend more time in the art room. 

As Grace looked into the kind and old eyes of her therapist she was surprised when she replied “okay”. 

Grace hadn’t expected that running on the beach would be so fucking hard. After seeing reruns of Baywatch and other shitty tv dramas Grace had expected her run on Baldwin Beach to be both cinematic and fun. Instead it was difficult and left her feeling inadequate. 

After her first run at Baldwin Grace stumbled into Daniel’s beach side bungalow drenched in sweat and inadequacy. As she began chugging the POG (Passion fruit, orange, and guava juice) from the fridge Grace caught the eye of a bemused Daniel.

“If I knew that all I needed to get you hot and bothered was juice I would have ordered it by the pallet” Daniel Le Domas slurred as he sipped from his cocktail.

Grace paused from her marathon consumption and looked over at her brother-in-law. Daniel was sprawled out on the white linen couch in the living room. The floor to ceiling windows of the room cast the morning sun on his lanky body. Even though Daniel’s face was still lined with dark circles, Grace couldn’t help but notice that his body had begun to fill out more since arriving in Hawaii. Wearing a red aloha shirt patterned with hibiscus, Daniel looked every part of the asshole tourist. But the kindness in Daniel’s umber eyes stopped Grace in her tracks. 

“How was your run? Did you like Baldwin?” Daniel asked from the couch.

“Honestly it fucking sucked. I’m out of shape and pasty as a corpse. But I really like Michael and I want to make him proud. I did meet this guy though. His name was Keoni” Grace replied between gulps of POG.

Even though he tried to hide it Daniel couldn’t suppress the slight furrow of his brow.

“Grace I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already making friends with the local men” Daniel slurred into his jungle bird cocktail.

Grace couldn’t help but notice the crimson color blossoming on Daniel’s cheeks. Grace refilled her glass with POG and moved towards the couch. Despite being sweaty beyond belief, she plopped next to her brother-in-law and sat on the couch. A sudden feeling of boldness came over Grace and she moved to face Daniel. 

“Honestly Daniel if you’re so concerned why don’t you come with me next time?” Grace asked.

Grace felt the slight charge in the air as Daniel shifted on the couch to face her. Gripping his tiki cocktail Daniel’s brown eyes seemed to swirl with emotion. Despite her best efforts Grace couldn’t interpret their meaning. 

“Well Gracie it really wouldn’t do if I let you run on Baldwin by yourself. God knows you could become one of those women that start shilling essential oils or asking what my birth chart is” Daniel said with a smirk.

Grace never expected for Daniel to actually go on a run with her. But the very next day as the sun began to cast lavender and pinks rays along the white sand, Grace awoke to a knock at her bedroom door. Dressed in casual black shorts and a white tee Daniel looked like an average man instead of the entitled son of a bitch he usually did.

“Grace get up we’re going running. I’ll meet you in the truck” Daniel barked as he leaned against her door frame.

As Grace groggily stumbled out of bed she pulled on her tattered sweat pants and McKinley High tee shirt. 

“Are you trying to look like a charity case Grace or is this a protest against your new found wealth?” Daniel asked as Grace climbed into the navy blue truck in the driveway.

“Fuck off yuppie and drive” Grace said with a laugh.

When Grace and Daniel started that first run at dawn at Baldwin Beach neither of them knew it would become a routine. But as Grace felt the pain and soreness build up and release with every step she felt lighter. Grace looked over at Daniel and saw the thick sheen of sweat that glistened over his pale visage. Grace breathed in harder and carried herself faster than Daniel towards the end of the beach.

As Grace reached the end of the beach she took in all the colors surrounding her. There was the magenta color of beach towels against the beige sand. Canary and crimson colored beach toys littered the sand as small children screamed playfully when the tide touched their feet. Taking a deep breath Grace raced towards the sky blue colored sea and dove head first into the surf. Grace opened her eyes underneath the water and saw the pale white sea foam of the waves roll above her. Coming up for air Grace’s body floated at the top of the water.

Warm hands gripped Grace’s shoulders and pulled her against something warm. Grace turned around and found herself in Daniel’s arms. Seawater dripped down his face and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. Butterflies or something like them danced in Grace’s stomach as she tried to look away from the man before her.

“Careful Gracie Lou Who or you’re going to wash out to sea” Daniel whispered.


	3. Working Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the comments and kudos. They make my day. I know my writing is a little rough but I love these two misfits and I'm happy you do too.

“Grace, your boyfriend is here” Kamalani sings teasingly.

As Grace sets down a tray full of used glasses onto to the bar top she glances at her coworker. Kamalani’s dark eyes are full of mischief and are intently staring at a solo diner. The man seated at table 34 has thick dark stubble covering his face and is wearing a soft blue aloha shirt. After being in Maui for a few months Daniel has started to gain weight and looks less and less like the pedigreed blue blood that he is. However, Grace knew for a fact that his linen pants and shirt cost more than hosts like Kamalani made in a week.

“He’s not my boyfriend Kama” Grace replies with a hint of annoyance. 

“Okay well your super hot and rich roommate former brother-in-law person is here and tipped me fifty bucks to be in your section” Kamalani crowed while waving a crisp fifty.

Grace groaned while the beautiful young woman stuffed the fifty into her dress and sauntered off laughing. 

It had been a little over a two months since Grace had started working at Mama’s Fish House. While Grace had enough money to never have to work again, she found herself growing bored and antsy without work. After telling her therapist Michael about her lethargy he kindly suggested that she find something structured to occupy her time with. Daniel found it amusing when Grace first suggested that she wanted to find a job, but he was greatly surprised when Grace announced one day that she had turned in an application to work at one of Maui’s top restaurants.

Located along Maui’s northern shore Mama’s was an open air restaurant known for their amazing view and even better fish. Grace was thrilled when she was told she could start immediately as a host due to her extensive experience in service and a background in fine dining. Something good had to have come out of serving rich assholes for years in hotel restaurants in the city.

Grace’s first shift simultaneously felt like being fed to a pack of wolves and taking her first breath of fresh air in ages. The familiarity of seating charts, rollups, and being around working class people was something that Grace hadn’t realized she was missing until she was back in that environment. On her seventh shift Grace was pulled aside by her manager David. David’s hooded eyes and lined face were contorted in worry. A coiling sense of fear wrapped around Grace’s heart as she worried she had fucked up somehow.

“Grace you’ve served before yeah?” David asked with a sense of urgency.

Grace nodded and began to answer before David cut her off.

“Oh thank god. I just had three servers call out. Ocean’s car broke down in Lahaina, Katie lost her sitter, and Jake claims he’s stuck in Hana but I know that faka is surfing the swell we’re having. I need you to cover section six. It’ll just be a few tables. No big tops. Can you do this?” David asked.

A deep exhale seeped out of Grace from a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 

“Of course. I’m going to be so fucking attentive these tourists won’t know what hit em. Leave it to me David’” Grace assured. 

What was supposed to be a slow night turned into a nonstop sprint between tables, the bar, and the kitchen while Grace was trying to seem confident and calm to her tables. Sweat clung to her body as she brought plate after plate of Mahi Mahi out to hungry tourists with money to burn. That night she left with a fat stack of cash tips and had been serving two nights a week ever since.

“Aloha and welcome to Mama’s Fish House. My name is Grace and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Is there anything I can get started for you? A cocktail? Goat’s blood? The number of a naïve host with a daddy complex?” Grace asked with her best customer service voice.

“You know I’m actually good on the goat’s blood. I think I still have some left in the fridge. But I’ll take you up on a jungle bird and the number of the host. But only if the daddy issues also comes with a deep insecurity and a desire to be spanked” Daniel replied with a smirk.

“Don’t they always? Okay but for real what the fuck do you want Daniel”

“Dearest Gracie you never fail to provide outstanding service” Daniel said with mock sincerity.

“And yet you still come back every Thursday. While I cherish our banter I do have other tables to attend to. Their very vacation depends on whether or not I can supply them with enough tropical libations to make them forget about how much they hate each other” Grace gestured widely to the surrounding tables full of women in loose summer dresses and men in shorts and sandals.

“Well I would be absolutely horrified to keep them waiting. I’ll take the jungle bird and any specials you’ve got darling” 

“Call me darling one more time” Grace warned playfully as she began to walk away.

“Or you’ll what Gracie Lou Who?” trailed after Grace as she walked to her other tables.

The rest of the night was a blur. Daniel stayed at his table ordering dish after dish along with cocktails until Grace was phased. The staff at Mama’s were curious and suspicious about the lanky quick witted man that sat in Grace’s section every Thursday. However, Daniel quickly earned the staff’s approval by tipping the support staff hideously well. Sandy the bartender teased Grace that her stalker was paying his mortgage with the amount of drinks he ordered every Thursday.

Daniel sat facing the inky black sea and listened to the waves crash against the sand. Bright pin pricks of starlight filled the night sky and a warm breeze carried in the scent of salt and jasmine. Daniel had lost count on what cocktail he was currently consuming when he the saw Grace walking towards him. Loose blonde curls strayed from Grace’s pony tail and caught the light of the restaurant’s lamps. Daniel aggressively took a gulp from his drink as his eyes trailed over the tight white dress with red hibiscus flowers that Grace was wearing. Instinctively he looked back towards the ocean before he let his thoughts veer towards something he wasn’t ready to confront.

“Hey I’m all closed out and done with side work. You ready to go” Grace asked as she neared the table.

“Aye aye captain. Ready to set sail” Daniel slurred as he stumbled trying to get up.

“Classic Le Domas. Too drunk to even drive home. Come on you big baby”

Grace pulled Daniel’s right arm over her shoulder and shivered as she felt the warmth from his body. Alex had always ran cold and when he touched her it had felt like he was leaching away her heat. A sudden tight ball of anxiety appeared in Grace’s chest at the thought of her husband. Her thoughts of Alex these days ranged from sweet memories to nightmares of his hands around her throat. As her thoughts began to spiral towards what her and Michael referred to as “the bad place” Grace was pulled back to reality by a rare confession from Daniel.

“You know I proposed to Charity on this beach?”

Snapping her head to look at Daniel Grace saw his dark eyes looking off towards the beach surrounding the restaurant. Their steps were slow and careful as they headed up the stone steps to the parking lot. 

“It was so fucking contrived. The whole thing was planned by Charity. What clothes we would wear, who would be there, and what time of day. Fuck she even gave me a little speech to say in front of my parents. I got so hammered that I don’t remember the dinner or taking photos afterwards. Emilie and I did coke in the bathroom while Fitch and Charity soaked in the prestige and privilege of being a Le Domas. Fucking disaster” Daniel bit out as he leaned against the pickup truck while Grace scrounged for the keys in her bag.

A metallic clink sounded as Grace dropped the keys onto the warm asphalt. As she bent down to grab them Daniel’s hand brushed against hers. A pained smile and the smell of bourbon greeted her. Stumbling back up to the pickup Daniel managed to get into the truck with little assistance as Grace unlocked the doors.

Grace put the truck in drive and pulled out of the Mama’s parking lot heading down the highway to their bungalow on the beach. Turning slightly to the side she saw Daniel’s drowsy face lit up partially by the passing headlights. 

“So that was a pretty depressing proposal story. I thought Le Domas proposals were supposed to be at swanky establishments on the East Coast” Grace said as she tightened her grip along the steering wheel.

“Well after Emilie and Fitch had the perfect country club proposal I think Charity wanted to upstage them. Did Alex go all out for your proposal? He was always so by the book” Daniel asked with a slight crack in his voice while looking out the window.

Usually Grace and Daniel had strict rules they followed. Rule number one was to never mention Alex’s name. Thoughts of Alex inevitably lead to both of them spiraling in their own ways. Daniel with a bottle and Grace with a seemingly never ending nap. But lately things had begun to change. Grace was beginning to be able mention his name without immediately wanting to scream. Michael had told her it was normal to have conflicted feelings about her dead husband. She was allowed to despise him while also acknowledging that there were some good times before the wedding. Before she was offered up like a goat to slaughter. Taking a deep breath Grace pressed down on the gas pedal as if she could speed away from her trauma.

“You know honestly he proposed in bed. We had just finished a cozy night in during our months long bone-a-thon. I was joking about our future and how he was never going to make a honest woman out of me. That I was going to have to go find some desperate wall street rat in order to get married. All of the sudden he kissed me and pulled out this ring. Said he loved me and couldn’t imagine life without me. I had never been so happy. Looking back I think he proposed that night because he was afraid I would leave. So romantic” Grace managed to croak out while suppressing tears. Grace hated crying.

A warm hand encircled Grace’s and squeezed. 

“Some fucking family” was all Daniel was able to say.

The truck began to bounce as they pulled onto their private drive. Slowly the bungalow came into view and the truck came to an abrupt stop. Stepping out of the car Grace made her way to the passenger side as Daniel poured out of the door. 

“Alright geezer can you walk or do you need help?” Grace asked with her hands on her hip.

“I’ll have you know young lady I am only ten years older than you and am still very virile. Don’t put me out to pasture yet” Daniel slurred as he took one step and promptly fell onto the grass like a felled tree. 

“Oh yes you’re so spry” Grace chuckled at the sorry state of the man at her feet.

Pulling a stinking drunk Daniel off the grass on Thursday nights had become a routine for them after Grace’s shifts. Tonight Grace was able to pull Daniel to his feet with minimal effort and she was grateful for it. The two misfits stumbled through the humid night and into the house. Grace managed to dump Daniel onto the long ivory colored couch in the living room. Grace turned away from the couch to go grab a puke bowl and some water when she felt a large hand gently encircle her wrist. 

“Grace I’m sorry”

Daniel’s umber eyes were soft and heavy with something Grace couldn’t read. His shirt had become disheveled and unbuttoned at the top.

“Daniel you’re always very unapologetically drunk. What are you apologizing for? It’s not like I haven’t carried your sorry ass before” Grace said as she pulled her wrist away in an attempt to stop this unknown tension filling the air.

“I’m sorry for bringing up Alex. It was dick move. You deserve a better friend. I don’t know how to talk about personal shit. Charity never wanted to imply she had a beating heart” Daniel mumbled.

Grace’s legs swayed just a fraction and she plopped next to Daniel on the couch. Throwing her beige work shoes off Grace pulled her knees into her chest and faced her brother-in-law.

“Don’t be. Alex and I rarely talked about personal stuff. I mean I told him about being in foster care but I never felt like I could show him all the ugly parts of myself. He always just seemed to be perfect and I was afraid he would see I was like a damaged toy. Not to be that bitch but my therapist Michael says that my inability to be honest with my feelings leads me to be in relationships where I’m never truly understood. So I guess it’s progress that we can talk about the past without completely falling apart” Grace looked down feeling to raw to make eye contact with Daniel.

Daniel reached over and took Grace’s cheek in his palm. Giving her cheek a soft pat Daniel pulled out two beers from the six pack sitting on the floor with his other hand and passed Grace one. Daniel took a big swig from his brown bottle.

“Well Grace if you’re a damaged toy I’ll be a broken one and we can live together on this island of misfit toys. Let’s learn to be real people together” Daniel said while raising his bottle.

“To feeling shit” Grace cheers.

“To feeling shit Gracie Lou Who” Daniel cheered as the two bottles clinked together.


	4. Bad Days

Daniel Le Domas knew it was going to be a bad day the moment he woke up. The oppressive sun glared down upon his disheveled body. Apparently he had once again passed out on the back lawn. A dried out acrid pool of vomit covered the grass near his head. Daniel blinked up at the treasonous sun as he attempted to sit up. 

A pressure that he imagined was on par with a volcano on the verge of erupting was building between his eyes, and his stomach clenched in rhythmic spasms. Why the fuck had he drank gin last night? Now Daniel wasn’t the type of alcoholic to be picky about his poisons, but gin had never sat well with his body. It didn’t matter which brand of gin he tried, Daniel always found himself with a hangover like no other. 

Fishing his phone out of his pocket Daniel noticed the date, December 29th. A balloon of pressure filled up in his chest as he felt a burning viscous mess rush out of his mouth and nose. As he projectile vomited onto the lawn like he was in The Exorcism, Daniel now remembered why he had drank copious amounts of gin last night. Gin was always Alex’s drink of choice. Today should have been Alex’s thirty-forth birthday. 

A high pitched ringing filled Daniel’s ears and his body quaked with aftershocks from his monumental heaving. His baby brother should have been thirty-four today. Alex should have been knocking back gin and tonics while Grace sang an offkey but sultry version of a Divinyls’ song. Daniel would have been in the corner nursing a whiskey neat while vaguely pretending to listen to Charity’s complaints about how the karaoke bar was disgustingly unhygienic. How could Daniel be eating those nachos? Did he see how filthy the bartenders hands were? Did he want to get E. coli?

But instead the only person Daniel had ever truly fucking loved had been splattered into bits of flesh and bone all over the dining room. Even if Daniel could have scrapped some parts of Alex off of the wall and floor, Alex’s remains were turned into ash along with the rest of his family and home. Sometimes at night Daniel dreams of his family home being devoured by hungry flames. The ashes of his family, his history, and his birth right cling to his skin and fill his nose. Whenever he has those dreams Daniel scrubs himself raw in the shower trying to get imaginary ash off of his skin. 

It takes three tries and several stumbles but Daniel manages to pull himself somewhat upright. As he turns back towards the house he vaguely realizes that Grace is somewhere in there. Normally seeing Grace is the highlight of his day but today the thought of his sister-in-law brought fresh bile into his throat. Scraping his hand through his unkempt hair Daniel thinks to himself that today is a fine day for wallowing in his misery solo. 

Daniel turns towards the sea and begins to slowly trudge towards the churning cerulean waters. Without taking off his clothes or shoes Daniel walks into the water and feels the cool water swirl and ebb around his body. Taking a deep breath Daniel plunges head first into the sea and swims past the break. The ocean glitters and bobs around Daniel as he emerges. He leans onto his back and lets his debilitated body float along the top of the water.

While the cool water has done wonders for Daniel’s hangover, his mind is intruded upon by thoughts of his family. When was the last time he saw Alex that night? Could he have saved him? A small voice hiding in his mind wonders aloud if Alex was even worth saving.

The thing that bothers Daniel is that when people remember Alex Le Domas they remember the clean cut but charismatic young businessman. But the Alex that Daniel remembers is much messier and reckless. His baby brother had loved to play pirates. Emilie played the mermaid needing rescuing, Daniel would be some sort of villainous miscreant, and Alex was always the fearless hero. Nothing could stop Alex Greatsword from saving the day and finding the treasure.

Now as Alex grew older he might have stopped pretending to sword fight but he was still just as determined to be virtuous. Daniel spent high school developing a palate for his preferred liquors and learning the mysteries of women with various maids in the dark corners of their home. Alex conversely spent his time leading food drives, volunteering with the elderly, and still found time to intern at the Le Domas dominion during the weekends. What an overachiever.

The beautiful golden boy also had some secrets and faults Daniel reflected. Despite being the favorite of the family it was almost always Daniel’s hand that gripped the knife that slit the goat’s throat for the Le Domas sacrifices. It was Daniel who spent a summer in a tremendously boring rural Montana rehab after he got a DUI his junior year of college even though Alex had been the one driving. Throughout their entire brotherhood there were a few moments scattered throughout where Daniel’s well known persona of being the fuck up shielded the prodigal son from being exposed. It had always been so easy. A simple shifting of seats or an over exaggerated stumble to keep their parents from noticing Alex slinking out of the room. Tony’s sneer and Becky’s disappointment didn’t wound Daniel in the same way they injured Alex. Ever since the night of Aunt Helene’s wedding Daniel didn’t want to make anyone in their family proud. Fuck ups in the Le Domas family didn’t get people killed.

The tendrils of his unyielding guilt begin to crawl through Daniel’s skin and bury themselves deep into his soul. He should have tried fucking harder. He should have made Alex leave the family earlier. Daniel should have wrestled Alex to the ground and held him down till he screamed when Alex told him he was going to propose. Why hadn’t he just paid to have a car waiting where he could have physically shoved Grace and Alex into before the wedding? He should have stopped this. But he didn’t. Now Daniel is wallowing in the Pacific Ocean while his entire family is condemned to hell.

Once his skin begins to peel and tighten Daniel decides it’s finally time to make his way back to the shore. The weight of his misdeeds and soaked clothing clings to his body as Daniel quickly becomes covered in sand as he lays down on the shore. All around him Daniel hears his family. The cry of the doves becomes Emilie’s wail. Tony’s thundering temper played by the crashing of the waves. The soft warm breeze blowing off the waters reminds Daniel of his mother’s drawl.

An amber glass bottle has been sunk into the sand near where Daniel lays. Reaching over Daniel finds that some angel has left him a bottle of rum. Perhaps he left it there last night? Daniel couldn’t remember seeing the bottle when he headed into the water but who was he to refuse a gift? Daniel uncorks the bottle and does what he does best. Daniel drinks until the faces of his family stop lingering in the shadows of his mind and the darkness takes over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! Thank you so much for the kind words and kudos. The past few months have been fairly grim and watching my country grow more and more divided over a horrific tragedy has kind of killed my inspiration. But I'm trying to get back into writing. I've been wanting to write a Daniel centric chapter for awhile now but it took a bit to figure out where I wanted to go with it. I'm hoping to continue writing more about the different types of days Daniel and Grace go through. I wanted to at least get something published since it's been awhile. Once again thank you so much for the kind words and kudos. They're really great motivators and I'm so happy to know there are other fans of this pairing.


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